Thank You Thursday: The Keys of Change

What if you could do something that helped create employment for someone that desperately needed it, whilst also giving a gift of inspiration and positivity to both yourself and others? Perhaps it’s time you took a look at The Giving Keys?

A social enterprise born out of the simple idea of providing people with confidence and belief when they needed it most, The Giving Keys was established in Los Angeles. Inspirational words are engraved on old, recycled keys and used as pendants on necklaces, made into bracelets and rings.

The work is undertaken by disadvantaged people who are transitioning out of homelessness. People for whom often this job was their only chance at making a better life for themselves. Over the past few years, as the business started to grow, The Giving Keys partnered with local community organisations including United Way, PATH and Chrysalis, to help find more employees, ensuring that those employed were truly in need and looking for a way to recreate their lives.

As if that doesn’t create enough of a feel-good product, The Giving Keys encourage all wearers of their keys to pay it forward and once they meet someone who needs that message more than them, they pass the pendant on. Here is a short video about the concept:

The brains behind The Giving Keys is Caitlin Crosby, a young woman who grew up in a world of narcissism, glamour and craziness; she grew up in Hollywood. The daughter of an entertainment manager and a model, she rebelled against the world of vanity and started producing items and writing songs and music with the motto ‘Love your flaws’.

One day she had had an idea and got that motto engraved on an old hotel key she had, and the rest, as they say, was history.

Caitlin was destined for big things and it’s such a delight that a lot of the ripples she is making are about empowering others. She is someone who genuinely wants to make a difference in the world, having recently said in a TED talk, “I think it is our responsibility as humans to take care of each other.”

The concept of The Giving Keys, and Caitlin herself, are a shining example of Mother Teresa’s quote about helping others ourselves.

This Thank You Thursday, we acknowledge the creativity and kindness of Caitlin Crosby for coming up with The Giving Keys initiative; giving not only confidence and love to key-wearers, but the opportunity for change to key-makers.